This sure ain't Starbucks...

Two nights ago, I realized how different and difficult it is to insert oneself into a business in another country. I also noticed that my new job here is more challenging than my research as a Fulbright (seriously, it beats the fleas and bathroom...holes).


During high school I worked as a hostess/cashier in Legends Restaurant at the RAC in Rochester, MN. Ah, Friday night fish fries during Lent...I will never forget the smell of my uniform. In college, I managed to pay my coffee addiction by working at Starbucks (another smelly uniform job). Let me tell you, working for Joe Powers and the Starbucks Corp definitely instills in an employee a certain level of standards and expectations in the service work place: puntuality, hygenic standards, completing with job requirements...you know, stuff that you do or else, well, you're fired.


Our entire staff, except for one extremely punctual kitchen helper would all be fired by now if we functioned on the U.S. working clock. The norm is that people show up 15 to 20 minutes late to work and nothing is said. Qiqe gets annoyed with me that I want to open the restaurant at 8am on the dot or show up to replace one of the waitresses at 3pm. He reasons that they come late, so why should we be timely. But he also rationalizes that we can't be too demanding because the pool of potential personnel in the city. Live with what you have, and deal with the frequently irritable waitresses...because they are the best that we can get.


Now, I am not saying that Mojsa isn't a clean restaurant, but certainly its apples and oranges from the US expectations of cleaning (products, procedures, etc.) I've been slowing trying to push some changes in the way dishes are handled and left to dry. Instead of leaving a huge pile of plates, silverware and glasses on the back counter for all to see (and some to cringe like me), I tried to implement the use of a bucket to hold dirty dishes until they can be washed. "It takes up too much space" or "I like my ordering of biggest glasses to smallest, that looks clean" is the response I have received. Grrrrrrrr.

During a conversation with one of the restaurant's waitresses, we talked about change and improvements. She stated that the mentality of Peruvians...especially in Puno, was to stay in the same routine and that change wasn't welcome. She felt that we (Americans) have a different mentality of moving forward, making things better, etc. Of course, this waitress has been the most hesitant and unhappy with my ideas to improve the cleanliness.

I am now understanding just how very delicate this balancing act will be. In order to make improvements (both in the restaurant and in the rural projects we do) it will require a great degree of coaxing and patience to make the small changes needed so that the routine turns into a more productive, useful routine. My biggest challenge is to see how to find a compromise with my goals for improvement and the cultural norms with the restaurant's staff.

A Chambear Full! (Time to work hard!)

I'm back in Puno!!!! My friends have all come to greet me and my boyfriend and his family have been so gracious helping me settle in. It is definitely odd being back and having people recognize me as I walk down the street. It seems like such a long time since I've been here (7 months actually), but at the same time I felt like I was able to just fit right back in where I was before...well, after the 4 days it took to adjust to the altitude.

Very little has changed in the city. There are a few new hotels, fine alpaca clothing stores, and fresh paint on some buildings. Surprisingly, though, there are no new restaurants. Tourism is pretty low. This season is considered "temporada baja", or the low season. The Candelaria Festival has just ended and Carnavales are over, so people are pretty partied out.

I have been formally introduced to the staff at the restaurant where I am working, Mojsa, as a co-manager. It a lot of work, and long days (staring at 8am, ending sometimes around 11pm). But I am loving every moment of it. My responsibilities are really dynamic and high-energy. I do everything from overseeing consumption and expenses to design work for the website, menu, marketing, to training with the staff and schmoozing with the customers.

The best news was from our initial meeting with the NGO for our social project. They are EXTREMELY interested in our project and we will have our first planning meeting at the beginning of April! I am very happy that the project is already making headway. It will be another few months until things get off the ground, but I feel very confident that we are headed in the right direction.

Oh, but the MOST exciting news for now is that the market is now selling SOY YOGURT!!!! I had a bit of a super-happy-dancing moment yesterday when I found out. It's the small things you appreciate in Peru :)